Charles Durang

Charles Durang was born in Philadelphia on December 4, 1794, the son of John Durang, the first native-born American professional dancer. Charles made his first appearance in the Chestnut Street Theater at the age of 7 in 1803, and subsequently performed in almost every theater in the United States. He was actor, author, stage manager, prompter, ballet master, and finally opened a dancing academy. He was the author of a "History of the Philadelphia Stage from 1752 to 1854," which appeared serially in the Philadelphia Journal.

Durang died in Philadelphia, February 15, 1870.

• Durang's Terpsichore or Ball Room Guide. Turner & Fisher: New York, 1848.
• The Fashionable Dancer's Casket: or, The Ball-Room Instructor, 1856. (HTML and page images at the Library of Congress)